


Of Heroes and Overdue Assignments

by YamabukiBread



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: All events in the mini loading comics are canon, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Canon-typical shenanigans, F/F, Ghost Hunters, Hagukanon truth, I mean very slow, Illustrations, NFO is good, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24284611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YamabukiBread/pseuds/YamabukiBread
Summary: Rewrite/Edit of the Original OHAOA, now with less plot holes.-Misaki wants to lay low- in a world of superheroes and villains, would much rather stay away from the violence. But after moving in with her band, she quickly realizes that she wont get what she wished for- not at all.
Relationships: Kitazawa Hagumi/Matsubara Kanon, Okusawa Misaki/Tsurumaki Kokoro, Seta Kaoru/Shirasagi Chisato
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	1. pineapple on pizza is worse of a crime than commiting arson, watch Kokoro do both

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After everybody had gotten their rooms sorted out, they ordered 2 pizzas. 
> 
> "Kokoro, please."
> 
> "I don't understand, Misaki? It's just pineapple!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rewrite/Edit time!!!!! Ft Hagukanon truth!!!

It had been exactly 9 hours since Misaki moved in with the other members of Hello Happy World.

When Kokoro had announced the availability of a five bedroomed apartment practically on the doorstep of the college they'd all be attending, everybody had seized the opportunity to avoid long walks to class, or the looming idea of bus fares. Kaoru and Kanon were the most happy about it, as they had completed their first year of college having to take long bus rides to class. Proximity really was the selling point.

The apartment itself was spacious. Even after everybody had gotten their boxes inside, there was still a lot of room to move around(or do a cartwheel, as Kokoro deemed necessary). The apartment was already furnished, undeniably the work of the black suits. It all seemed to be expensive, brand-name furniture, taken right out of a home design magazine. Impossibly soft couches surrounded by green plants gave the apartment a relaxing aura, as if Kokoro wasn't going to cover the entire place in papers filled with crayon drawings that served as future song ideas.

After everybody had gotten their rooms sorted out, they ordered 2 pizzas. 

"Kokoro, please."

"I don't understand, Misaki? It's just pineapple!"

Misaki groaned, trying to avoid screaming out loud. _of course_ Kokoro liked pineapple on pizza- why wouldn't she? She added a second pizza to the order, so that it wouldn't be contaminated by the tropical fruit. All five of them were crowded around Misaki as she ordered the pizzas on her phone, overlapping in their suggestions for pizza.

So naturally, that's how they ended up getting two pepperoni pizzas- one with pineapple.

Eventually, everybody retired to their rooms for the night, eager to prepare for the first day of the year. After saying goodnight, Misaki entered her room, flopping down onto the mattress on the floor and closing her eyes. Thus, she tried to sleep...

Though, no matter how hard she tried, Misaki couldn't. She knew that she'd have to be up early to get to the orientation class. Maybe her lack of ability to rest was the unfamiliar room, or the lack of sound from the street below that she was used to from living with her parents and sister. 

Nope, it was the time thing. It's always the time thing that keeps her up.

1 in 50 people have a superpower. Why? Who knows, honestly. It just happened one day, and the world adapted. Alot of these people became heroes and villains, dressing up in tacky costumes and trying to portray the types of characters you'd find in comics. The rest of those with powers stayed hidden- the government was always looking for people with powers to hire who could do their dirty work.

Misaki was one of those unlucky people. Since she was young, Misaki could stop time with a snap of her fingers, and start it again with a second snap. At first it had scared her, but as time went on, she got used to it. She started using it more, as a way to get some more studying done before a test, be on time to events, and occasionally to change into Michelle when there wasn't any time to do it. (Kanon never questioned it, thankfully.)

On the ceiling, glow stars arranged into constellations shone dimly. Kokoro has given them to her when they moved in, saying some things about constellations and such. Ah, yes. Misaki had chosen astronomy as her major. Truth be told, she wasn't really sure why she'd chosen it. It was something that she never even considered in the past, but now she had decided to very possibly, unless she changed majors, learn about it for the next four years.

She sighed, sitting up and glancing at the clock on the wall, illuminated by an internal light that was dark enough to not disturb Misaki while she slept, but bright enough to let her see the time.

It was 1:27 am. 9 hours in. The minute hand ticked. 9 hours and one minute in. The minute hand ticket d a few more times. 9 hours and 11 minutes in. 

With nothing better to do other than stare at the clock, she stood up, sliding on a pair of slippers she'd bought after her old pair had caught on fire during a past show. Smiling at the memory, Misaki walked out of the room, closing the door behind her silently. The floor was a sleek looking wood, polished and almost shiny. She wondered if the suits had cleaned up anything else in the apartment.

Walking along the small hallway, Misaki noticed a light near where the kitchen was. Well, at least she wouldn't be alone in her restlessness. It proved that the floors were shiny, though. The light seemed to be flickering- perhaps a faulty lightbulb? Miskai didn't think the suits wouldn't notice that though.

Entering the kitchen, she found Kokoro sitting on the floor with her back to Misaki, holding something that seemed to be providing the only light in the room. Maybe a lighter- no, Kokoro wouldn't own a lighter- a candle?

Kokoro had ended up with business administration and management as her major. At first, Misaki thought it was a joke, but the piles of business textbooks that took up a considerably large portion of Kokoro's room proved otherwise. She couldn't help but wonder if Kokoro's major was actually her choice, or something her parents, or maybe even the suits had selected for her. Misaki had never met Kokoro's parents, so she couldn't be sure of how involved they were in their daughters life. But still, if they were involved- why give somebody like Kokoro a business major? Then again, the Tsurumaki family was paying the tuition, so Misaki wasn't in the position to question anything.

Standing behind Kokoro, Misaki leaned to the side in an attempt to see what her roommate was holding, to see if it was a candle. Leaning to the side, Misaki caught the familiar look of a flame, and-

Oh. That isnt a candle.

Although she wasn't close enough to see it in full, she could very much tell that Kokoro's entire hand was, in fact, aflame. In her other hand, Kokoro seemed to be roasting a marshmallow, using one of Kanon's drumsticks in place of an actual stick. Misaki didn't quite know what to make of it. Of course, Misaki knew people couldn't normally set their hand on fire without feeling immediate pain, or their skin melting off. She could leave and forget she saw anything, but a part of her wanted to know what on earth was going on.

With a deep inhale, Misaki cleared her throat rather loudly. Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best idea, but Misaki didn't really know what else to do. Kokoro shot up, a ball of fire hurtling toward a roll of paper towel, providing a better light source.

Kokoro spun around, facing Misaki with a look of shook, seemingly unaware of the fact that she'd set something on fire. The marshmallow she'd been roasting slid off of the drumstick, falling to the tiled floor silently. Her hand was still on fire, the flames slowly crawling up her arm, burning the sleeve of her shirt. It wasn't a _Oh no, you know my terrible secret!_ kind of shock- more like _What are you doing here?_ kind of shock. The two girls stared at each other for what felt like forever. Kokoro rapidly blinked, as if trying to process what had happened. 

"So. Couldn't sleep either?" Misaki asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. Kokoro nodded, a small smile making it's way onto her face. They stood there in silence for a moment, before Kokoeo suddenly turned to the burning paper towel, a look of realization on her face.

"Misaki, go get-"

Then the kitchen burst into flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dont be shy hand over the feedback. Or general comments. I crave interaction please :')


	2. Okay class, stand up and tell us one thing about yourself, but it's at 2 am and our kitchen just burnt down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanon looked at everybody in the room, realizing that Kokoro's suggestion was the only thing to do, other than to call the fire department. But it seemed that smoke apparently ate away at beaincells, since nobody ever brought up the idea.

Kanon had been sleeping well. The fluffy pillows were much nicer than the worn one's she'd had at home, not seeing the point of nicer pillows when bus money was a priority. Luckily, that wasn't a problem, anymore.  The minute she had gotten into bed, she had fallen asleep. She knew that she'd need a lot of sleep to begin her second year, as she knew it would be harder than the first. Marina biology was, unsurprisingly difficult. There was alot of information and not enough time to write it down. Early mornings mixed with late nights had been rough on Kanon's overall health, but she had a good feeling about this year.

Waking up to hearing the sound of alarmed yelling was quickly eating away at that good feeling, though. Quickly getting out of bed, the blue-haired girl considered taking the water bottle next to her bed with her. Shaking her head as if the bottle would be hurt by her decision, Kanon quickly walked towards her door.

The ability to control water was something Kanon often found herself taking for granted. Everywhere she went, she took her water bottle with her, knowing she could count on it whenever she needed it- which wasn't alot. He mostly used it to do things like water her plants or root dry off quickly. To some degree, she discovered she could do the dishes from the next room, although she couldnt vouch for the safety of all dishes involved.  Moving in with the others, Kanon knew things would have to change. She'd have to stop being reliant on her power, which was something she didn't mind too much. Though, watering plants manually would be a pain.

Stepping outside of her room, she noticed both Hagumi and Kaoru peeking out of their rooms as well, all looking just as confused as Kanon assumed she looked as well. The three girls exchanged nervous glances, the sound of yelling continuing. A light was on, probably from the kitchen.  Taking a deep breath, Kanon walked over to where the hall ended, peeking around the corner. She had a fairly good look at what  _ was  _ the kitchen.

The entire counter, all of the cabinets, and everything else was aflame. It was bright and almost painful to look at. Two people; who she could definitely tell were Kokoro and Misaki; tried desperately to put out the fire, yelling varied ways to put out the fire to each other. 

"Kokoro, get water from the sink!"

"But Misaki, the sink is on fire!" 

"How the hell did that happen?!"

"I don't know! Maybe if we smile at it, the fire will go away!"

"Shit, Kokoro! I don't know either! Does smiling at it usually make it go away? YOU'RE the one with- with- god, I don't know what you did, but just fix it!"

In any logical situation, Kanon would've grabbed the fire extinguisher that most apartment buildings kept on each floor. But, of course, she knew that there wasn't one on their floor, or on any floor for that matter.  _ That's the price you pay for being so close to the college _ , she thought to herself. The suits hadn't installed one, according to Misaki.  Judging from the sound of footsteps behind her, Kanon assumed that the other two girls had joined her in peeking around the corner. She felt another body brush against hers, hearing a soft gasp followed by a slightly more dramatic gasp.

The sound of Kokoro's and Misaki's yelling persisted as the fire grew. Kanon had to wonder why a smoke alarm hadn't gone off yet; especially as the dark smoke emanating from the kitchen slowly got closer to the three girls.  As the smoke neared a bit quicker, Kanon took a hasty step back. Crashing into Kaoru, all three girls fell to the floor with a thud. The commotion caused Misaki and Kokoro to whip around, both staring at their friends with wide eyes.

Kanon could go back for the water bottle, but it wouldn't be alot. She could try to pull the water from the sink, or a tap in the bathroom- but prior experiments has shown that it was not the besg idea. Kanon couldnt do much, which was very much frustrating, having water powers and all. The smoke was beginning to fill the air, causing tears to form in Kanon's eyes as she coughed. She suddenly remembered that she was on top of Kaoru- appologizing quietly, she removed herself, pulling Hagumi up with her.

"Everybody, lets-" Kokoro had begun to speak, only to be cut off by a cough. "-Lets smile to make the fire go away!"

Silence filled the room, leaving only the sound of the fire crackling. Kanon looked at Hagumi, who looked at Kaoru, who looked at Kanon. They were all just as confused as they had been when they all exited their rooms.

"Alright, my kitten, let us attempt that!"  Kaoru had said the line with complete confidence, though her expression betrayed her. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was pressed into a firm line when she finished speaking. Kanon looked at everybody in the room, realizing that Kokoro's suggestion was the only thing to do, other than to call the fire department. But it seemed that smoke apparently ate away at beaincells, since nobody ever brought up the idea.

"Okay, everybody," Misaki said, stepping back a bit from the cloud of smoke and standing next to Kanon. "We're all gonna smile at it. On three, Okay?" Everyone nodded, all walking towards each other to form a line facing the fire. Oh god, this was stupid.

"One!"

Kanon shut her eyes, balling up her fists.

"Two!" 

Oh god, she was gonna die. This wouldn't work, it couldn't.

"Three!"

She smiled. She smiled as wide as she could manage, feeling her jaw begin to get sore. She probably looked stupid, mouth unnaturally wide- it would make for a great photobooth picture. After a few moments, she hesitantly opened one eye, praying that it had somehow worked, and...

The fire was gone. 

_ No way. _ Kanon looked at the blackened counters, feeling her jaw drop. Even the black smoke was gone, leaving only the scent of burning marshmallows. (Wait, is that her other drumstick?) She looked over to the rest of the band, all of them sharing expressions of shock; except for Kokoro, who was still beaming.

"I told you guys it'd work!" Kokoro yelled, walking towards the kitchen. "Do any of you guys know how to fix this? The black suits usually replace it, but they told me no setting things on fire in the apartment, so…" She asked innocently, pointing at the charred counters.  Misaki, Kaoru, and Hagumi all began speaking at once, their voices overlapping. Kokoro looked taken aback, tilting her head to the side. "So you guys can't do the fire thing? I thought everybody could do the fire thing!" She was met with a chorus of four loud "No"s.

Kanon found herself looking at the kitchen again, wondering what Kokoro meant by fire thing. Fire thing? Did she mean a match, or a lighter? But that wouldn't make any sense at all, as Kanon knew that there wasn't anything in the apartment to start a fire of that size. Unless...

"Kokoron, are you- Puyo- Piro-" Hagumi had begun to ask Kokoro something, getting stuck on the pronunciation of the subject of the question.

"Pyrokenetic?" 

Kanon found herself saying it before she even thought of it, surprising herself a bit. Kokoro turned her attention to Kanon, looking down in contemplation. "That's what the suits call the fire thing… So yeah, I'm Pyrokenenetic, I guess!" She announced happily, glancing back at the counter.  Everybody stood in shocked silence, taking in what Kokoro had said. Quickly checking the wall clock that miraculously escaped the fire, Kanon frowned. It was 2:12 in the morning, and with what just happened, she doubted that she'd be able to rest properly. Her 8 AM class was in less than 6 hours now.

While silently lamenting about the day ahead, Kanon hadn't noticed Hagumi climb onto the kitchen island, the only object that hadn't burned. "Guys!" She yelled, standing up shakily. "I have a weird thing too! I can run very fast!" Once again, silence filled the room.  "Like, very fast! Faster than normal people!" Hagumi smiled before jumping off of the island, seemingly proud of how she handled her announcement. Misaki sighed loudly, rubbing her eyes a bit as she climbed onto the island.

"If anybody else in this room can do something, please tell everyone so that something like THIS-" She gestured to the kitchen. "-Doesn't happen again. Okay? I'll start. I can start and stop time. That's all."

Kanon gulped, stepping forward a bit nervously. "I- uh, fuee…" She found herself saying fuee again- it had been quite a while, hadn't it? Misaki awkwardly tried jumping off of the island like Hagumi had, flinching when she hit the ground. She gestured to Kanon to stand on the island as well, rubbing her leg with a muttered curse.  Opting to sit on the Island instead of standing, Kanon inhaled. "I can- I can control water… It's called hydrokinesis, I think…!" In that moment, Kanon felt a lot better. She wouldn't have to hide it anymore, which meant she could easily maintain the collection of plants that were starting to dot the apartment.

She slid off of the counter, stumbling as she made contact with the floor. Awkward. Kokoro yawned, stretching a bit. "So, Kaoru, can you do anything?" The girl asked, smiling at Kaoru excitedly.

Smiling in her princely manner, Kaoru quickly stood atop the island. Making a gesture with her hand, she began to speak. "Well, you see, long ago I discovered I had the gift of communicating with the deceased!" She said dramatically, treating the island as if it were her stage.  "Although it's hard to use at times, I believe it to be a fleeting ability! As the great bard once said, 'Love all, trust a few, and be kind to the dead!'" With that finishing statement, Kaoru lept off of the island, prompting an applause from Hagumi and Kokoro. Kanon was more surprised about the half-correct usage of the fleeting fleeting than she was about the actual power.

Misaki cleared her throat, turning everybody's attention to her. "Okay, so this is a thing now? God, the chances are literally so low, how- ugh." She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "So... are we all okay, then? With this whole situation?" 

"What do you mean by that, Misaki-Chan?"

"Because, we're all in one place, right? That would make us a magnet for problems, no? It's kinda hard to keep the secret _secret_ all the time," Misaki explained, looking pointedly at the kitchen. "So I just... Want to make sure that we can be ready just in case something bad happens."

Kanon nodded. "Well, since we all know about each other now, I'm sure we'll be able to handle whatever comes our way!" She was surprised to hear herself say that. If the her who had been intent on throwing away that old drum set could hear her now... Well, she'd be surprised.

Everybody else nodded in agreement, smiling again. This time, luckily, not at a fire, but at each other.

"Good. I'm going to bed now." Misaki declared, turning around and vanishing into her room with no other comment.  The other four girls made their way back to their rooms as well. Kanon almost screamed when she saw a flash of orange speed by her, realizing that it has probably Hagumi. That would be something she'd have to get used to. Before entering her own room, Hagumi waved to Kanon, only to dissapear in a flash of orange seconds later.

Her own room was still dark, the water bottle silhouetted by the pale light coming in from the window. She sat down on her bed, taking a moment to absorb all of the information. Her good feeling about the year returned, this time stronger than ever. She could do this. Laying down, Kanon closed her eyes. 

She could do this.


	3. Ghosts and shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misaki looked at Kaoru in confusion, an eyebrow raised. "What… what type of adventure…?" 
> 
> "One full of peril! Destruction and death, that must be shown through a lovely lens- Misaki, you don't happen to know how to use a camera, do you?" They stood there for a moment, silence filling the air between them. 
> 
> "Yeah, I filmed my little sister at her first ballet recital and I guess I did a pretty great job…" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws the udagawas at you* I'm love them  
> Also from the p.o.v swap it isnt an edit of the original anymore! Hell yes, funky fresh new content.

The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, bleeding out soft pastels into the sky that seemed to suck up the dying light and color the world with it. It was undoubtedly a beautiful evening, the shadows growing longer as night fell.

What is sunlight, other than the pure feeling of love that… No, that didn't work. That didn't work at all. Kaoru was walking back to the apartment, yawning as she admired the setting sun. She knew she could come up with a fleeting phrase to describe the sight, but the words avoided her.

She sighed, rubbing her eyes as she continued forward. The night before had drained Kaoru, leaving her exhausted throughout the day. Finding out that everybody in the band had a power like her had relieved Kaoru more than it had shocked her. Looking back on things, Kaoru guessed that she should've noticed it before. The way Misaki seemed to be unrealistically quick when grabbing something from another room, or the way that Hagumi always seemed to run faster than everybody else were clear signs of something unusual.

She was just glad that she wasn't alone anymore. It had been terrifying to take on the idea of seeing dead people- sometimes those who you'd seen alive the day before- for the first time, but now she had people to talk about it with… Well, probably just Misaki, actually. Kanon and Hagumi didn't seem like the type to be comfortable with talking about that sort of thing, and Kokoro probably didn't understand the concept of death very well.

Of course, Kaoru was terrified of ghosts, undoubtedly. Even if she saw them on a daily basis without knowing they were even dead, she could tell by the chill she felt walking past one. Back when Hina had caught her rehearsing for her role as a ghost a few years back, Kaoru had genuinely thought that there was a ghost haunting the well, before Hina had crashed into her. 

Kaoru had been working to overcome her fear of ghosts, but finding genuine experiences was, let's just say, incredibly difficult. Luckily, Kaoru wasn't the only person in the area with an interest in the undead. With some talking and persuasion, Kaoru found herself on the set for Ghost Hunters Japan, a fairly large youtube channel that specialized in ghost hunting.

Her phone beeped, a familiar text tune playing out the first few notes of a song Kaoru didn't recognize. It was auto-set for the chat though, so there wasn't much she could do about it.

[Ghost Hunters Groupchat]

[T.U] : hey guys, cant film tonight. I have some assignments to wrap up and I cant fail this class

[xXDemonXx] : again?! :00 I asked rr but she's working on stuff for the entire night….. does that mean we can't do it today?!?!???!?!!?!!? We have a schedule, we can't let the viewers downnn

[FleetingPrince] : We are in need of an extra set of hands for the camera? I might be able to rope one of my roommates into it.

[xXDemonXx] : kaoru!!!!!!!! Yaayayayy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[T.U] : I cant believe ur callin them your roommates now… that's wild how the new place?

[FleetingPrince] : Lovely! Our kitchen is… currently under repairs.

[T.U] : Omg this is just like the incident at the live when Kokoro set off the fireworks isn't it? Fireworks in the apartment right

leetingPrince] : No, just not the best kitchen.

[xXDemonXx] : lmfaoo the fireworks!! I remember Tomoe's face when we realized it was going wrong that was so much fun

[T.U] : okay okay lets not get distracted. Kaoru, can you hook up a cameraman?

[Fleetingprince] : Yes. I will be home shortly.

Turning off her phone, Kaoru realized she hadn't been walking while texting. She was almost tempted to fix her error in timing but she realized her location. It was a bridge overlooking a river- nowhere too special, but still somewhere that filled Kaoru with a strange sense of nostalgia.

After spending a fleeting moment at the bridge, Kaoru continued on her way back to the apartment, the sun sinking low enough to start affecting the lighting. For a moment she was about to walk to the elevator, but she decided against it. She didn't know why- perhaps getting a look at the stairs would be nice. 

Going up the old stairs, Kaoru was surprised to find quite a bit of graffiti. Some English words she couldn't recognize and some crude symbols, the usual. What was odd was the singular brick covered in eyes- drawn realistically with marker, all looking in different directions. She wondered what the story behind them were, before realizing she'd spent far too much time looking at the singular brick. Heading up to the last floor, she inserted her key into the door and walked in.

Hagumi and Misaki were seated on the couch, both absorbed in their phones. Kaoru cleared her throat, striking one of her signature poses. Misaki's head whipped upwards, the girl quickly snapping her fingers. A second snap followed immediately after, but by that time Misaki was no longer on the couch, but standing next to Kaoru.

"Sorry, thought you were a robber, or like, the government. It's kinda reflex, sorry if I spooked you." She sighed, turning to walk back over to the couch before Kaoru's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Misaki, could I interest you in an adventure on this fine night?" 

Misaki looked at Kaoru in confusion, an eyebrow raised. "What… what type of adventure…?" 

"One full of peril! Destruction and death, that must be shown through a lovely lens- Misaki, you don't happen to know how to use a camera, do you?" They stood there for a moment, silence filling the air between them. 

"Yeah, I filmed my little sister at her first ballet recital and I guess I did a pretty great job…" 

Kaoru smiled, letting go of Misaki's shoulder and walking towards her room, gesturing for Misaki to follow. At the end of one of the hallways, Kaoru's room was the smallest out of the five. It only had room for a bed and a dresser, but Kaoru was quite alright with that, as the closet was the perfect size to store some of the costumes she'd kept over the years.

Opening the door, Kaoru let Misaki walk in before entering and shutting the door. "What exactly would you like me to film?" Misaki asked, taking a seat on the bed. Kaoru opted to stand, so that she wouldn't hit Misaki if she wanted to make a gesture with her hands.

"Me and some others have been investigating ghosts for quite a while now! You see, we have been posting videos about our explorations on the internet." She explained, pulling out her phone and opening up YouTube. Entering the name of the channel, Kaoru turned her phone to show Misaki.

"Ghost Hunters Japan?" Misaki asked with an eyebrow raised. "I thought that everything on there was staged…? You said that you can see ghosts, invisible, but almost always, you have the actual ghost visible? Even though it's supposed to be invisible? And, do the other people on the team know you can see them?" Kaoru smiled at the questions, clearing her throat before replying. 

"You see, I can open up the eyes of others to ghosts too, though it's sometimes exhausting, especially when done with something like a camera. That's why it's only done once a month. No, my co-producers are unaware of the ghost situation. How fleeting..." The last part had been unintentional, but Kaoru was used to letting it slip randomly at this point. 

"So… you want me to film you and some other people talking to a ghost? I guess I can do that.. It'd be better for me to do it instead of somebody like Kokoro or Hagumi." Misaki said, standing up with a yawn. "I'll go see if my camera is in any of my unpacked boxes. When are we leaving? Wait, who else is-" 

Kaoru cut her off. ''We leave around 10- we have a groupchat, I'll invite you." Nodding, Misaki exited Kaoru's room quickly, shutting the door behind her. Now alone, Kaoru pulled out her phone again. Her wallpaper was a blurry photo of the rest of the band, taken by mistake- but it was blurred in a nice way, so she kept it. Kaoru opened up the messaging app and did as she promised, adding Misaki to the group chat.

[Ghost Hunters Groupchat]

[Rr] : item drops are up, cant play but you should go get them @xXDemonXx

[xXDemonXx] : Oh worm I'm coming!!!!!!!!

[FleetingPrince has added M.O to the group]

[FleetingPrince has changed M.O's username to TCP]

[FleetingPrince] : Everybody, please welcome our temporary cameraman!

[xXDemonxX] : hiiiiiiiiiiiiii

[T.U] : Oh, it's you. You're in the bear, right??

[TCP] : Yep

[xXDemonXx] : ohhhh, Michelle?? I didn't know that was u

[FleetingPrince] : Ah, but Misaki is not Michelle. Michelle is a bear, Ako~

[xXDemonXx] : what. Could there be a ghost in Michelle

[T.U] : Its;; Its Okusawa-san you guys. In the bear 

[TCP] : hold on

[TCP] : Assuming demon or whatever is Udagawa- Ako Udagawa, that is-

[xXDemonXx] : mhm

[TemporaryCameraPerson] : You are aware that I'm in the bear, right?

[xXDemonXx] : what

[TCP] : Oh, okay then. I see. Alright.

[T.U] : Hate to break up the conversation rn, but you guys should be going soon. It's a bit of a long bus ride to Urihonahi Burial Ground, I don't want Ako staying up too late

[FleetingPrince] : I'll change quickly. Misaki, I'll meet you in the living room.

[xXDemonXx] : I'm so excited omg

[T.U] : ah, you're still at rinkos house right? Don't forget your phone again. I gtg

[xXDemonXx] : I won't forgettt byeee

[TCP] : see you there, I guess

Kaoru glanced at her phone, feeling a bit off. It was probably just the idea of the burial ground being infested by ghosts. Changing into lighter clothing- a blue tank top and white shorts- Kaoru left her room. Hagumi had moved at some point, Kanon and Kokoro sitting in her place, watching something on T.V. It was the local news channel, the reporter excitedly talking about whatever was new, most likely straying from whatever teleprompt she'd been told to use.

"The votes are in, here's the weather for tomorrow! It'll be cloudy and a little chilly, since winter hasn't quite let us go yet, so wear a sweater! Now for the news, the villain team of Minthe, Bladeon, and Khiya strike once more, but with a fun twist! It's just Minthe. There have been no casualties, but we have a chopper above the scene now…"

Kaoru stopped listening, having a certain distaste for the news. She wandered into the kitchen, noticing the new counter, surprised that the suits had already replaced it. Opening the fridge, Kaoru took out a soft drink, Michelle's face plastered onto the can. Sipping the fruity pop with a small smile, Kaoru took a moment to let her shoulders fall. God, was she always this tense?

Well, a prince couldn't be hunched over, it wasn't very regal. It also hid the fact that she had terrible posture when she wasn't focusing on it- a bad habit kept from childhood, she supposed. 

"Are you ready to go?" Misaki was suddenly there, holding a bag that most likely contained her camera. She was wearing a denim jacket and leggings, sporting an impressively clean pair of white sneakers. Was it 10 already? Taking another sip of the soda, Kaoru was surprised to find that it was somewhat warm. Whoops.

"Yes, let us go!" She declared, grabbing her keys from the hook at the front door and slipping on her boots.

The two walked out of the front door, waving goodbye to the two girls on the couch who were now watching a movie and promising that they'd be back soon. Locking the door behind her, Kaoru shoved the key into her pocket, hoping that it wouldn't fall out. Meeting Misaki at the elevator, they stood in comfortable silence, the only sound being the creaking of the elevator itself.

Soon, they stood at the glass door that separated the indoors from the outdoors. Kaoru turned to Misaki, hesitant to open the door. "Ah, is this something you really want to do, though?" She asked. Misaki just nodded, slightly perplexed. "It just gets… freaky sometimes? Cameras get dropped a lot."

"Are you trying to talk me out of this?" Misaki asked, stepping forwards and opening the door. Hit with a rush of cold air, Kaoru shivered, realizing that it was colder than she had thought. Misaki was already outside, holding open the door for Kaoru.

"No, I just don't want you to fall and break your camera, or trip and get hurt." Kaoru said, remembering the time she'd broken her arm after a rather nasty encounter. "So you're sure?"

"I'm sure. I mean- what could go wrong?" 

-

Ako was pretty cool, thankfully. It was nice to know she wouldn't be heading into a graveyard with a complete stranger. Misaki fiddled with her camera quite a bit on the way there as she took a few breaks to text with the younger girl on the bus.

[xXDemonXx & M.O]

[xXDemonXx] : then I fought the boss…. alone

[M.O] : Oh, can I see??

[xXDemonXx] : -Img.bigdragon-

[M.O] : So it gave you good gear or something?

[xXDemonXx] : yeah!! Me and rinko usually do bosses together but shes been busy lately

[xXDemonXx] : she actually works at the place they make the game now did u know

[M.O] : That's cool

[xXDemonXx] : do u have a computer??? We should play sometime, kaoru is not very good lmao

[xXDemonXx] : -Img.kaoruspooks-

[xXDemonXx] : this was her when she saw the boss we were gonna fight lol

[M.O] : Oh my God that's hilarious 

The bus was quiet, with only a few other people on it. Misaki looked up to Kaoru, who was on her own phone and typing something. She looked back down at the picture, then back up at Kaoru. It was surprising to see how different she looked- if Misaki didn't know Kaoru she would've assumed that the Kaoru in the picture and the Kaoru in front of her were two different people.

[xXDemonXx & M.O]

[xXDemonXx] : yeah it was really funny

[xXDemonXx] : she didnt even look that afraid when a ghost dunked her into a pile of mud lmao

[M.O] : uh okay

[xXDemonXx] : sorry it was just 

[xXDemonXx] : really funny

[xXDemonXx] : since you weren't there I dont think u understand just how funny it was 

[M.O] : I guess I don't. I think we're getting close, we'll see you there

[xXDemonXx] : ok

Misaki turned off her phone, looking outside at the dark street. The streetlamps illuminated mostly empty streets, the occasional drunk university student flashing by, or… person in a sparkly dress, apparently. She careened her head, trying to get a better look at the person, but they were walking at such a pace that Misaki couldn't see them again. That dress was really pretty though- she wondered for a fleeting(ha) moment what Michelle would look like in such a dress...

"We're here!" Kaoru announced, slipping her phone into her pocket and standing up, hanging on to one of the rails in the bus. She looked a bit pale, but she was still smiling in that princely way. Misaki nodded and zipped her bag, waiting for the bus to stop before she stood up. Thanking the driver, they stepped out of the bus.

Urihanohi Burial Ground was definitely something you'd see in a movie. The fog that moved around the gravestones felt unreal, only letting Misaki see a few feet in front of her, even with the flashlights from their phone They walked into the graveyard, trying not to trip over rocks or other things on the ground

"There are a lot here." Kaoru said, looking around with a focused frown.

"Ghosts?"

"Yes."

"What do they look like?"

"Wounds, a few of them. Some are very old, some are young. There's a high schooler, she's still in uniform and all… A Hanasakigawa student, actually."

"Really? Does she look familiar?"

"No. It's one of the older uniforms, so she's been dead for a few decades now."

Misaki nodded, squinting at the same places Kaoru was looking and moving her phone, trying to see a shimmer of something unusual, but she saw nothing- mostly due to the fog. She certainly understood why Kaoru had asked her if she was sure she wanted to go- it was safe to say she had twisted her ankle on a stray piece of gravestone already.

Up ahead, Misaki made out a figure in the fog, short and waving in their direction.

"Hey guys!" Ako was suddenly more visible as she turned on a large flashlight, illuminating the graveyard around them. Misaki didn't know Ako too well, mostly seeing her with Roselia. She was taller than Misaki remembered, but still short. Her hair had grown, pigtails falling down to just below her elbows- her roots also appeared to be red. Geez, she really changed, didn't she?

Kaoru smiled, gesturing to Misaki to get out the camera as she walked toward Ako.

"Hello, Ako. How is Tomoe?"

"Good! She's been doing good in college which is great! I think she's taking night classes too! She's so cool!!"

Ah. Maybe she didn't change that much. 

"Misaki, wanna start filming?" Kaoru asked, adjusting her hair quickly.

Taking out her camera, Misaki checked to make sure everything was ready. Popping off the lens cap and shoving it into her pocket. She counted down from 3 and began filming.

"Of ghouls and ghosts, of spooks and fears, this is… Ghost Hunters Japan! Today we're here at the Urihonahi Burial Grounds, known for its hauntings. What has happened here, what do the angered dead want? Maybe we'll find out…!" Ako smiled at the camera, waving for Misaki to follow her as she ventured further into the graveyard. 

"There are stories of a woman in a red dress coming from behind gravestones." Kaoru said, looking around a bit before turning to the camera. "I wonder… will she visit us todAYYyyyyy...?" Not paying attention to space behind her, Kaoru turned back around to a woman standing in front of her. The woman was, somehow unsurprisingly, in a red dress. She had long blonde hair, twigs and leaves intertwined between the locks. Her eyes were blank, and Misaki could see a gravestone through her torso.

Ako gasped, walking up to the woman with an enthusiastic smile. "Hello! My name is Ako Udagawa from Ghost Hun-" 

"I know who you are."

"Cool! So, can you answer some questions? What does the cold grip of death feel like?"

"You need to leave."

Misaki frowned, glancing over at Kaoru who looked perplexed. They made eye contact for a moment, before focusing back on the woman.

"We will, soon! So, how did you die?" Ako asked, determined to get some answers. The woman simply frowned before flashing out of existence with a disappointed sigh. Before Ako could say something to the camera again, the ground felt much more uneven than it had moments ago.

Misaki realized very quickly that the ground was shaking violently, stone clattering against stone. "Okay, let's get going!" Ako yelled, turning to large flashlight behind Misaki and charging in that direction, leaving Misaki and Kaoru to try to keep up.

Ignoring the searing pain in her ankle, Misaki tried to keep the camera steady as the ground behind her seemed to be collapsing. While running, Ako turned her head to look at the camera. 

"Thanks for tuning into- huff- today's episode of Ghost Hunters Japan! Like- huff- and subscribe!" She turned back around, running faster. Kaoru, who was still next to Misaki, noticed she still had the camera running.

"Misaki, that's when you stop filming.!"

"Oh- okay-!"

Fumbling a bit, Misaki stopped the camera and shoved it back into its bag. After what felt like hours of running, they were outside of Urihonahi Burial Ground, sitting on the sidewalk and trying to catch their breath.

Ako took out her phone, standing up. "I'm gonna call my big sis, she can probably give you guys a ride home. I- I'm just going to go across the street. Away from the graveyard." She said, walking across the street tiredly(and not looking both ways, Misaki noticed).

Misaki turned her attention to Kaoru, who kept looking back into the graveyard. "What the fuck was that?" She asked, arms crossed. "Why would you make a violent one appear?!" 

"I didn't! She wasn't the one that I was planning on, it- it just popped up!" Kaoru replied, turning on her phone to check the time. "It's… 1 in the morning… that can't be possible." 

"What? We haven't been out for three hours, have we?" Misaki went for her camera, trying to see the length of the video. It read 16 minutes. "It says it was… 16 minutes…?" Had they been running for hours? It hadn't felt like it.

"Your thing is time, no? Did you put us in a time bubble or something?" Kaoru looked to Ako, who was on the phone with Tomoe and speaking quietly. Misaki shook her head, putting her camera away.

"I didn't- well, did I? If that woman just appeared without you making her, and if I paused time for hours… Did both of our powers trigger without us wanting them to? And without us noticing?" Misaki spoke in a low tone, brows furrowed. That didn't make sense, though. In all of the years Misaki had that power, she'd never triggered it without wanting to. The snapping was just for effects, or warning if she was messing with her sister.

"That's not good…" Kaoru muttered, perking up a bit as Ako walked back toward them, putting her phone into her pocket.

"Tomoe will be here soon! Oh man, we were in there for hours! Maybe it was a ghost from hell!!" She declared, casting a glance back at the graveyard. "We'll get so many views!!" 

After a few minutes, a beat-up looking truck came to a halt on the road in front of them, a familiar red-headed girl poking her head out of the window. "Hey guys! Come in, I promise it's nicer on the inside." Tomoe said, clicking a button on the dashboard that Misaki suspected unlocked the doors.

With a shout of shotgun, Ako was already in the front seat, raving about how cool the filming had been. Misaki stood up a bit shakily, her ankle was really starting to protest all of the weight she'd been putting on it. She climbed into the truck, surprised to find that it smelled like vanilla. Kaoru entered behind her, Misaki shuffling to the next seat to make room.

"So, how was your first ghost-hunting adventure, Misaki?" Tomoe asked as they entered the freeway, the lights of the city on both sides of the truck.

"It was alright, minus the ghost." Misaki said, feeling a bit awkward and cramped in the small space. "Thank you for letting us ride with you, Udagawa-San."

Tomoe shook her head. "I should be thanking you! Ako would've dropped it, and Kaoru can't hold a camera still to save her life. You can just call me Tomoe, by the way. No need for honorifics." She turned around to flash Misaki a quick smile before focusing on the road again. 

Misaki smiled to herself, and turned to look out the window. The twinkling lights almost seemed to smile back at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ako dyes her hair. Tell me she doesnt.
> 
> June 11th 2020 edit : GARUPA PICO OHMORI OR HOWVEER ITS SPELLED CONFIRMED HHW HAD A SHOW WITH FIREWORKS AND IT LITERALLY BURNT MICHELLE IM GONNA LOSE IT. I PREDICTED IT. OH MY GODDDD


	4. Crepes and ideas of questionable goodness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Should we eat there? Doesn't seem too crowded- not anymore." Misaki offered, watching as students dashed away from the cafe in a mad attempt to get to class, brown paper bags clutched tightly in their hands. They were having a hard time getting around the mostly empty tables scattered around the general vicinity, though.
> 
> "A great idea, Misaki! Let's go!" Kaoru declared, striding towards the cafe without missing a beat. Kanon quickly followed, stumbling a bit to catch up as Misaki also joined them, walking up to the counter. The counter was speckled with sunlight and stray leaves, a glass display case keeping bugs away from the assorted pastries inside. There was a neatly printed out menu hanging above the counter, swaying in the breeze.

The sky was strange today. Dark clouds dotted the mostly clear sky, creating strange patches of light across the streets. The darker bits of clouds threatened rain, but not enough for it to deter Kaoru from insisting that Misaki and Kanon join her outside to explore the area a bit. None of them had any classes until noon, leaving Kaoru to decide that finding someplace to eat breakfast was a great way to spend the morning.

There were quite a few students already on their way to classes, handing each other notes before going their separate ways. Misaki waved at a few of the people she recognized, getting varying degrees of recognition back. The main building was large, huge windows on either side of the double doors that had been propped open to let students in. The walls were made of dull white stone, strips of gold accenting every corner.

It loomed above the street, 5 stories tall. Misaki had a very difficult time navigating it on the first day, having to text Kanon to ask where some of the rooms were. There had been a map up on the website, but overuse seemed to have shut down the entire navigational section of the webpage. Even as the crowd began to thin out with classes beginning in mere minutes, a few people were still trying to find their way around.

A few days had passed since the incident at the graveyard, leaving Misaki on edge as the three girls started to get farther from the campus. If what had happened in the graveyard was a result of her powers triggering without her knowledge, who knew when it could happen again? It wasn't her stopping time, because she would've noticed immediately. Slowed time? But she couldn't do that, could she? What if-

"Misaki, look! There's a huge park here..!" Kanon's voice pulled Misaki from her thoughts, her focus now on the large green field in front of them. Dotted with trees, the park was overshadowed by the buildings next to it, a few rays of sun peeking in through the gaps of the buildings. Through the trees, there were a few small amenities at the park, including a small, partially outdoor cafe.

"Should we eat there? Doesn't seem too crowded- not anymore." Misaki offered, watching as students dashed away from the cafe in a mad attempt to get to class, brown paper bags clutched tightly in their hands. They were having a hard time getting around the mostly empty tables scattered around the general vicinity, though.

"A great idea, Misaki! Let's go!" Kaoru declared, striding towards the cafe without missing a beat. Kanon quickly followed, stumbling a bit to catch up as Misaki also joined them, walking up to the counter. The counter was speckled with sunlight and stray leaves, a glass display case keeping bugs away from the assorted pastries inside. There was a neatly printed out menu hanging above the counter, swaying in the breeze.

"Can we please get… hm, what do you guys want?" Misaki asked, as she realized she was at the counter first.

"A small coffee please- 3 milk, 5 sugar. And perhaps a… crepe?" Kaoru squinted at the menu a bit before nodding to confirm- and also sending a wink toward the girl at the counter. Misaki sighed as the girl went bright pink. Typical.

"Just bottled water... and, uh- one of the tuna sandwiches too, please!" Kanon said, quickly turning to a table and gently wiping off the leaves from the chairs.

"I'll have a… medium coffee, black. And a bagel with butter." Misaki said, taking some money out of her bag as the girl, still somewhat flustered, began to work on the order. She slid over enough yen to cover the order and waited, the sound of a coffee machine softly whirring confirming Misaki would soon get a kick of energy.

Soon enough, Misaki and Kaoru met back up with Kanon, drinks and food in their hands. Sitting down, Misaki took a sip of her coffee, ignoring that it was just a bit too hot for her to drink just yet. For a moment, everybody was silent as they ate.

"Hey! Kaoru-Kun, Kanon-chan, Misaki-chan!" From across the green field, a voice rang out. Misaki looked up to see Hina Hikawa bounding across the field towards their table, Chisato struggling to keep up.

"Oh, hello Hina-Chan!" Kanon greeted Hina, waiting for Chisato to catch up before greeting her. "What are you doing around here?" She asked, shuffling to the side a bit to allow Chisato and Hina to take seats.

Sitting down, Chisato sighed. "Good morning Misaki-chan, good morning Kanon. Me and Hina go to Jisihana- I assume you all do too?" She asked, noticeably leaving out Kaoru, who didn't seem phased by her lack of inclusion- if she was, she definitely didn't dare to show it.

"Good morning to you as well, Chisato- lovely as always. To answer your question, yes! I'm taking theater, while Misaki has taken astrology and Kanon has taken marine biology" Kaoru said, taking a bite out of her crepe. Judging by her awkward movements, Misaki guessed this was Kaoru's first crepe. "So,' Kaoru continued, "What are you lovely kittens taking?"

Hina smiled at Misaki. "I'm taking Astronomy too! We might have different class times, I can't remember if I've seen you around…" she said. Misaki… couldn't remember her classmates that well. Huh. Hina continued speaking. "Oh, and Chisato's actually taking theatre too! Pretty boppin', right Kaoru-kun?" Kaoru nodded, raising an eyebrow at Chisato.

"I haven't seen you in my classes- how terrible it is that fate keeps us apart!" Kaoru mused, causing Chisato to look in another direction, clearly exasperated. 

"Maybe we'll meet on campus another time." Chisato said, turning to Kanon and Misaki. "Hina and I should probably be on our way now. We got a bit backed up at the train change… as per usual." She stood up, adjusting her clothing a bit.

"Bye! Hopefully we'll meet up again later!" Hina said, taking out one of the maps that had been issued on the first day. She stopped to look at it for a moment, before realizing that Chisato was leaving without her. Waving at Misaki and the others, she ran off to join her light-haired companion.

"I wonder how many other girls we know go here…" Kanon asked, taking a sip of her water. "I mean, from the other bands. Wouldn't it be strange if Kasumi-chan showed up in your astronomy class too?"

Misaki nodded, wondering if she could handle both energetic girls. She was suddenly very thankful that Kokoro wasn't in astronomy too. She checked the time, half relieved to see that it was only 9:04 am, half terrified to realize she had 11 minutes to get to her first class. "I gotta go, class starts soon." Kanon and Kaoru nodded, already aware they had classes much later in the morning.

As Misaki left she took a moment to appreciate the day. Despite the strange sky, it was warm- not too warm, or not warm enough, but just the perfect temperature. Eventually she made it into her class- a math course that has been recommended to her by the suits. 

She looked up at the clock.

9:06

"Oh." She whispered to herself. "You've got to be kidding me."

-

Kokoro usually didn't like the news. 

They only ever seemed to show sad stories, of villains burning down stores and unsolved murders. She only ever watched it when she felt she could take the sad information, and usually opted out within a half hour. 

Today, however, her eyes were glued to the screen. The headline read :  **Interview with Flaré, Japan's 2nd best hero.** Heroes. The one thing Kokoro loved about the news was whenever they did pieces on those who tried to keep the peace, powers or not.

"So, our viewers have been asking : why did you become a hero?"

On the screen, a masked girl sat adjacent to a less than enthusiastic interviewer. This masked girl was Flaré, a powerless hero who used her own strength to take down some of the bigger villains. She was very popular; the center of many hero fan pages and social media accounts.

Her outfit was bright red, white flames streaking down the side. The mask she wore was intricate and carefully crafted, placed on her face in a way that perfectly concealed her eyes. Her outfit also had a hood- only for the sake of covering up her hair.

"Well, I thought all this stuff was bad. There are people out there who aren't strong enough to defend themselves, and… and I couldn't let them get hurt." Flaré said, the slight muffling a voice changer very much audible due to the mic that was much too close to her face. "So I made this costume and I started… beating up robbers and thieves, then some of the lower villains, and now I'm the 2nd best hero according to you guys."

The interviewer nodded, looking at a sheet of paper before looking back up. "When compared to other heroes, does your lack of power make you feel as if you're at a disadvantage?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. I can do a lot of stuff, but punching and kicking only gets me so far! I'm pretty glad to have some of the other heroes backing me up sometimes- honestly, they deserve more credit than I do!" Flaré mused, smiling at the camera. 

"What are your plans when it comes to the villains Khiya, Minthe, and Bladeon? Do you think you can stop them on your own?"

Flaré shook her head, thinking for a moment. "By myself? No. They're really powerful, I couldn't stop them on my own. I think if they were to be taken down, I'd need to help of the entire top hero list, and then some." She said, laughing a bit. "So… no plans. Just gotta stop them where I can, I guess."

"Okay." The interviewer said, looking back at her papers. "There have been rumors about you and the ever mysterious number one hero of Japan working together… any comments? A name?"

"I can't say anything about a name.." Flaré murmured, looking at the ground for a moment. "But I  _ can  _ say that we've talked a bit." She smiled again.

The interviewer seemed a bit more interested, before a off-screen cue seemed to stop her. "Okay, thank you for joining us, Flaré. This is Tokyo News, live from our studio in central Tokyo."

Kokoro turned the TV off, smiling to herself. Heroes were always a huge inspiration to her- they were one of the easiest ways she could find herself smiling in a rare time when she wasn't.

Yeah, heroes make people smile, don't they?

They make people… smile…

Kokoro shot up from the couch, almost tripping on the coffee table on her way to Hagumi's room. It was still early in the morning, but Kokoro knew Hagumi was an early riser. She knocked on her door, not having to wait too long for an answer.

"Good morning Kokoron!" Hagumi said, wiping the remnants of sleep from her eyes. She looked a bit tired, still in her pajamas as Kokoro also noticed her unmade bed behind her. "What's goin' on?"

Kokoro just smiled and dragged Hagumi out to the living room. One of the first things she picked up for the apartment was an erasable whiteboard, complete with an eraser and a set of markers. She erased the reminders to get more milk and began to write.

**Let's be heroes to make the world smile even more!**

Kokoro slammed down the red marker once she finished writitng, moving away to show Hagumi, who looked a bit confused. "Heroes? As in superheroes?" She asked, head cocked to the side.

Kokoro nodded. This was a really good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT HASNT BEEN A MONTH YET GODDMANIT. IM NOT GIVING UP YET. So heres this unedited mess.


	5. Okay yeah that maybe wasn't a good idea huh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That went really badly." Kokoro said, breaking the small silence that had come after Misaki's departure. Everybody else nodded quietly, lost for words- that was Kokoro's best guess. Could she get Michelle to join? Nope. That wouldn't work; she didn't have any powers!! Besides, bears were probably very easy to identify, especially pink ones.

"That's a terrible idea! Do you know how dangerous that is?!"

Okay. Maybe this wasn't a really good idea. Misaki had been the last one to come home, so she was the last person to be briefed on Kokoro's loose plan to become superheroes. Last to come, but first to get unhappy about it. Kokoro didn't really understand why Misaki didn't like the idea even though it would make people smile and be fun- the two base traits a good idea always had. Hagumi had been on board immediately, followed shortly by Kaoru, then followed very hesitantly by Kanon.

So that just left Misaki to convince.

"What if our faces get leaked? They find one of us, they find all of us! This is insane!"

Hm. Misaki would not be very easy to convince, would she?

"But we wouldn't let that happen!" Hagumi piped up, picking up a sketch from the coffee table. It was a quickly drawn picture of the five of them in typical superhero costumes, all smiling wide. Misaki groaned, putting her hands into her face. 

"Kanon, please tell me you don't agree with this."

"Well…. I mean…. It couldn't be that bad if it was all five of us… We could help each other..."

"Seriously?!" Misaki half-shouted, angrily gesturing to the air in front of her like it had done her wrong. "We could all die! We don't even know how to fight!" She yelled this time, taking a deep breath to say something else but biting it back as she stormed out of the apartment, struggling with the lock behind her before ultimately deciding not to. The sound of another door- the roof, maybe- resounded faintly from the hallway.

"That went really badly." Kokoro said, breaking the small silence that had come after Misaki's departure. Everybody else nodded quietly, lost for words- that was Kokoro's best guess.  _ Could she get Michelle to join? Nope. That wouldn't work; she didn't have any powers!! Besides, bears were probably very easy to identify, especially pink ones. _

"Well… We should probably order some food since I don't believe anybody is feeling motivated enough to cook a meal?" Kaoru asked, holding up her phone to show the app for the local pizzeria opened up. 

"Pineapple please!" Kokoro shouted, running over to Kaoru to look over her shoulder as she ordered. Ignoring the shared look of disgust that Kanon and Hagumi shared for a split moment, Kokoro watched as Kaoru input the order into the app.

"It's coming soon! How fleeting…!" Kaoru announced, standing up and almost hitting Kokoro with her shoulder in the process. She cleared off the coffee table, mostly covered in sketches, and ran to the newly-repaired kitchen to grab paper plates and plastic cups. Placing down the cheap yet harder to smash cutlery, Kaoru double-checked the order time on her phone before beginning to walk back to her room. "I'm going to get some progress done on an assignment, I will inform you all when the food is here." Then she vanished, leaving the living room in an awkward silence. 

After a few more minutes of silence, Kanon and Hagumi had gone their separate ways, both claiming they had work to do or boxes to unpack. Which meant Kokoro was alone with the cutlery and paper-coated floor. She huffed, gathering up the papers and putting them into a corner that wasn't being used as a storage place for unopened boxes. 

Kokoro looked at the drawing on the top of the stack- a hastily sketched out plan for an outfit for one  _ Timegirl _ . Yeah, maybe she would have to make that name sound a bit better. There was already a Firegirl, Speedgirl, Watergirl, and Ghostgirl in the team as it was. Well, if the team ended up being made. Kokoro knew, of course, that she didn't need Misaki's approval to get costumes made and go out, but… They all lived together now, so shouldn't Misaki have a say?

Turning away from the papers, Kokoro grabbed her set of keys and left the apartment, locking the door behind her. Once, and then again. It was an old lock, sometimes it didn't work according to the landlord, so everybody bad agreed to lock it again for safety's sake. Walking down the small hall, Kokoro found herself at the door that she assumed led up to the roof.

Pushing open the door, she was almost thrown back in by the wind, stirring up some dead leaves in the hall behind her. She stepped out onto the roof, closing the door carefully so that it wouldn't slam behind her. It was cold, though Kokoro mostly blamed that on the wind.

At the edge of the roof, Misaki sat with her legs dangling over the edge. Had she heard Kokoro come up, or had she just ignored her? Well, either or, it didn't stop Kokoro from walking over to Misaki's side, sitting down next to her and kicking her legs in the open air.

"You can ask Michelle to help. Though she might not want to help." Misaki said, not turning to look at Kokoro. Instead, she was focused on the fading colors of the sky in front of her, partially obstructed by the towering buildings. 

"Why would we want Michelle?" Kokoro asked, cocking her head to the side as she stared into the sunset as well, "She doesn't live with us; and she'd be super easy to identify, even if we disguised her!"

Misaki just sighed, shaking her head. "You guys don't need a fifth person, though. Just go out and be heroes without me- just don't lead bad guys back here or whatever." 

"But your opinion matters too!" Kokoro said, turning to look at Misaki, "If you're afraid of being found, the rest of us would be putting you at an unfair risk, right? If you're that against it…" She hesitated, looking back at the sky. 

Was she really willing to give up the idea of being a hero for Misaki? Her mind was already made up when she turned back to Misaki, only to find her looking at her too. "If you're that against it, I won't go out and stop bad guys."

Misaki looked surprised, blinking as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "Well…" She huffed, looking back at the sky with a small smile. "How about you give me your plan and I'll think about it."

Kokoro smiled, already letting her ideas spill from her mouth. "So! We'll all wear super pretty outfits and go around the area in shifts…"

Hours pass. Pizza is reheated and shared between friends as a plan is created and modified, slowly becoming something feasible, less of a far reach. And if Misaki felt a bit warmer when talking to Kokoro after their conversation on the roof, she would certainly never bring it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! Ahaha... I got distracted because kaomisa brainrot is starting to set in please help me I want to write them so bad...,


End file.
